Thread: Honing services

Just a friendly question here.

If you already know/think and state your services will not be to the same standard as the more well known why would you offer paid services.
The result of your work would in this case never consistently be shave ready, and why would someone go for less sharp for a few dollars less?

As Joe stated, if you know what you are doing and are trying to establish a market for a fine product then go for it! Anybody fearing the loss of a customer and who might come down on you knows that he/she has not delivered as expected (otherwise one wouldn't lose a customer that easily usually within this field, nothing beats a satisfied and returning customer).

Maybe offer your services for free for a while to keep perfecting the skills (if you are unsure). This would certainly give you a headstart on a customer database once the paid services start!

Hoekie

I also have an issue with someone charging for services that may not be up to par.

When someone sells me a razor as shave-ready, I assume that all it will need is stropping (possibly a couple on the pasted strop to get it the way I like it). I don't care if it passes the hanging hair or any of the other tests - it needs to shave well.

I also don't want my razor scratched up and expect the honewear to be even.

If you are serious about charging anything beyond shipping costs, I would ask some of the people who's honing services are highly regarded to allow you to hone up a razor for them. Either way you win - you either get some praise or tips for improving your technique.

Good luck.

All I know is that if someone wanted me to hone their razor, I would recommend a good psychiatrist. Or bartender!

RT

Suzuki is right about honing a blade for Lynn. Can't lose. I don't plan to hone for $$$ but maybe I will send him something just anyway...

Additionally I'd like to point that currently there is no objective sharpness test for our purposes. Arm hair and HHT tests give various results, with different hair. My beard is different from yours. All this meaning that sometimes a razor might not be as shave-ready to one person as to another. And don't even include technique, which, as we all know, makes a big difference.

I have had good shaves with varying degree of sharpness (feel) on both the same and different razors, fwiw

Cheers
Ivo

Guys,

Thanks for all the great comments. I think I will have to send a few razors to some of the pros for some feedback.

I agree about the "honemeister" title next to our names when we hit 100 posts. Since we throw that term around a lot, it's probably confusing for the newbies. I remember being confused when I first signed up when some "honemeisters" were talking about how they wanted to start to learn how to hone...

It makes a lot of sense what someone said about just paying a few dollars more and getting your razor done by Lynn. If the top-notch guys can handle all the need that's out there, then it wouldn't make sense for anyone else to offer honing service. But if there's more need than there are honers to meet it, then maybe there's room for some of us who aren't superstars yet (but hope to be someday).

Doing some pro bono work for a while sounds like the way to go.

Thanks again,
Josh

You make a great point Josh. I honed hundreds of razors for people for free from the start. It was a great opportunity to learn more and I got to experience many blades that I might not have otherwise. Some folks do just see $$$$, but to each their own. We have always tried to provide information, services and even razors to new people who couldn't afford them, to perpetuate this art. We have some great folks here who for the most part are willing to lend a helping helping hand expecting nothing in return. I'll be happy to look at any razor you want to send. I've been able to get some awesome shaves from razors our members have sent me to test. There is some serious skill and experience in this group.

Thanks,

Lynn

Originally Posted by joshearl

I don't consider myself on par with Bill or Randy or Lynn by any means, so it seems unfair for me to ask $20. But I wouldn't want to undercut those guys, either...


Thanks,
Josh

I would say if it isn't on par with those gents and also Joe Chandler then you shouldn't offer a service IMHO

Gary

Originally Posted by garythepenman

I would say if it isn't on par with those gents and also Joe Chandler then you shouldn't offer a service IMHO

Gary

If it's free service and you feel confident to use for shaving by yourself, your father, son, etc. - I don't have a problem with the fact that it's not up to par with
Lynn and Joe et al - indeed there are few others who are up to par with them.

Of course, this may or may not work for everybody

Cheers
Ivo

Originally Posted by joshearl

Would it be unethical to offer honing services for a bit less than the going rate of $20, say $15? I don't consider myself on par with Bill or Randy or Lynn by any means, so it seems unfair for me to ask $20. But I wouldn't want to undercut those guys, either...

Josh, how do you know your honing skills aren't as good as theirs? Maybe they are. If you are confident you can get a customer's razor in shave ready condition, and you are interested in offering that service, then you should go for it. There is nothing unethical about competing with other vendors for customer dollars. If you are giving people value, they will return for those services and also recommend you to others. You will know you are doing a good job by that. If not, well, maybe offering a honing service isn't what you want to be doing.

One thing I do know, you'll have more regret about things you didn't do in life than of the things you at least tried to do.

Originally Posted by izlat

If it's free service and you feel confident to use for shaving by yourself, your father, son, etc. - I don't have a problem with the fact that it's not up to par with
Lynn and Joe et al - indeed there are few others who are up to par with them.

I think Gary was talking about paid services.

Alan offered to hone my razor for free once when I dinged it and was frustrated. I demanded to pay and he demanded not to be paid, saying he didn't he was on a par w/the top guys here. I ended up not taking him up on it because I wanted to learn, but I still think he's a saint.